The invention relates to telephone handsets and in particular to a cover of a mobile telephone adapted to receive a SIM card.
In today""s mobile, radio and or wireless telephones, a user subscribes to a particular network operator and is then enabled to roam within the environs defined by that network as an operable area. As long as the user is within coverage of the specific network, telephone and data communication calls can be routed to and made by the user. The network requires an identifier to be associated with each user so as to enable it to route messages to that specific user and also to bill the user for calls made. The identifier associated with each user is typically stored on an integrated circuit card known as a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card, which is a removable card, being receivable within the mobile telephone and, once received, adapted to be in electronic communication with the circuitry of the telephone.
It is important that each SIM card can be removed or inserted easily within the SIM card retaining portion of the telephone, but that once inserted is securely retained within the telephone. It is the information on the SIM card that identifies a user, his International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and telephone number, and often also the address book of that user. On subscription to a particular network the user is issued with a SIM card which he can then insert and use in particular mobile phone handsets depending on choice. If the user wishes to change his handset, for example to upgrade, he can simply remove the SIM card from the old handset and place it into the new handset, maintaining his number and address book. It will be apparent that the external dimensions of the SIM card are therefore standard within the industry so as to enable compatibility with multiple handsets of varying manufacturers. The SIM card once mounted within the telephone requires a mounting position that enables electronic contact between contacts of the phone circuitry and contacts of the SIM card.
Although the external dimensions of the SIM card have been standardized, the retaining portions within the telephone adapted to receive the SIM card are varied. For example International Application WO 98/13784 of the Whitaker Corporation describes an electrical connector having an initial insertion slot at a first end adapted to receive the SIM card at an acute angle to a mating face and locking tabs at a second end remote from the first end to hold the SIM card in a parallel orientation relative to the mating face.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,552 assigned to Am phenol-Tackle Electronics GmbH describes a contact holder having a pull-out stop or cover adapted to retain the SIM in a readable position within a recess.
EP 0 743 717 assigned to the present Assignees discloses a two piece SIM card receiving portion, and GB 2 342 788 of L and K Precision Industry Company Limited describes a clasping connector for a SIM card.
The known prior art, of which that hereinbefore described is a representative list, although describing differing retainer portions, discloses the positioning of the SIM card retainer portion or holder within the body of the telephone. The retainer portion is required to secure the SIM card in contact with the electronic circuitry within the body of the telephone. In the known arrangements this is effected by a SIM card holder mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) of the telephone electronic circuitry within the body of the telephone and adapted to retain the SIM card therein.
There is, therefore, a requirement for a mounting arrangement that enables an easy mounting of a SIM card within a mobile telephone without the need for additional components within the body of the telephone to effect securement of the card therein.
These needs and other are addressed by the present invention which is provided in a telephone handset having a front cover and a mateable rear cover. The mated front and rear cover define an inner area of the handset adapted to receive electronic circuitry for the operation of the telephone, and a portion of the rear cover is adapted to provide a housing for a SIM card. The SIM card housing is adapted such that a housed SIM card is in electronic communication with the electronic circuitry contained within the inner area of the telephone handset.
The rear portion additionally provides a housing for a battery. The battery housing typically occludes at least a portion of the SIM card housing such that it is necessary to remove the battery from its housing so as to effect access to the SIM card within its housing.
The rear cover comprises an inwardly facing portion, an outwardly facing portion and an edge portion provided between the inwardly facing portion and the outwardly facing portion, the edge portion extending about and defining the perimeter of the rear cover portion.
The rear cover is additionally provided with electronic contacts or terminals adapted to enable electronic communication between the SIM card and the electronic circuitry contained within the telephone. The electronic terminals of the rear cover project through the rear cover to the inwardly facing portion of the rear cover so as to provide an electronic contact surface of the rear cover adapted to make contact with the electronic circuitry of the telephone handset once the rear cover is mated with the front cover.
The edge portion of the rear cover portion is dimensioned such that, in use, when the rear cover is mated with the corresponding front cover of the telephone so as to form a telephone handset, the edge portions of both the rear and front cover portions of the telephone define the outer perimeter of the handset.
The housing for the SIM card is formed on the outwardly facing portion of the rear cover, and desirably formed from a recess provided in the outwardly facing portion of the rear cover.
The SIM card housing preferably comprises a base and side walls extending from and about the base defining a receiving portion of the housing. The receiving portion of the housing is substantially equivalent in area to the perimeter of the SIM card to be received therein.
The terminals for the SIM card are preferably located within the base of the SIM card housing.
The housing preferably further comprises a retention lug. The lug is formed on an upper surface of one of the side walls of the housing, the lug projecting from the side wall substantially parallel to the base of the housing. In use, when a SIM card is placed fully into the receiving portion of the housing it is retained therein by the interaction of one end of the SIM card with the lug. The lug comprises an inner surface and is desirably formed on the side wall of the housing at a distance from the base sufficient that when a SIM card is inserted fully into the housing, a portion of an upper surface of the SIM card abuts against the inner surface of the lug.
The housing preferably further comprises a catch member adapted to be moveable between an open position wherein a SIM card may be presented into or removed from the receiving portion of the housing, and a closed position wherein a SIM card positioned within the receiving portion is held therein.
The catch member is desirably provided on an opposing side of the housing to that of the lug such that an inserted SIM card is held at two opposing locations within the housing.
The catch member is desirably integrally formed with the rear cover, the catch member being resiliently biased towards the closed position. The catch member preferably extends from the base of the housing upwardly and inwardly so as to occlude a portion of the receiving portion, such that when a SIM card is fully inserted into the receiving portion, an upper surface of the catch member abuts against an upper surface of the SIM card, thereby retaining the SIM card within the housing.
Additional electronic terminals may be provided on the rear cover of the telephone handset, the additional electronic terminals adapted to provide electronic contact between a battery mounted on the rear cover and electronic circuitry contained within the telephone.
The electronic terminals provided on the rear cover preferably extend from the outwardly facing portion through the rear cover portion to the inwardly facing portion, the electronic terminals adapted such that when the rear cover is in a mated position with the front cover that the terminals are in contact with corresponding terminals on the electronic circuitry contained within the telephone handset so as to provide electronic contact between one or more devices mounted on the outwardly facing portion with electronic circuitry contained within the telephone. This electronic contact is desirably provided by the electronic terminals having outwardly facing contact members, which in use are in contact with the electronic devices mounted on the outwardly facing portion of the rear cover, and inwardly facing contacts. In use, when the rear cover is mated with the front cover, the inwardly facing contacts are brought into physical contact with corresponding contacts of the electronic circuitry, thereby providing the electronic contact between the devices mounted on the rear cover and the electronic circuitry within the handset. It will be appreciated that the removal of the rear cover from the telephone handset effects the removal of the electronic terminals from contact with the electronic circuitry contained within the telephone.
The electronic circuitry is preferably mounted to an internal face of the front cover of the telephone handset, the front cover is further adapted to retain a screen and keypad which are accessible from an external face of the front cover. The screen and keypad are utilized by a user, during operation of the telephone, to access the functional components of the electronic circuitry.
In a preferred embodiment a SIM card housing for a SIM card is provided within a rear cover of a telephone handset, the SIM card housing being dimensioned to receive a SIM card, the housing having a base and side walls which extend upwardly from the base and define a perimeter of a receiving portion of the housing, the receiving portion area being substantially equivalent to the area of the SIM card to be received therein.
In a preferred embodiment the present invention provides a mobile telephone handset having a front cover portion and a rear cover portion adapted to mate with the front cover portion, mated front and rear portions defining an inner area of the mobile phone adapted to envelop therein electronic circuitry for the operation of the mobile telephone and wherein the rear portion of the mobile telephone is provided with a SIM card retaining portion adapted to receive a SIM card, the retaining portion provided with electronic contacts adapted to enable electronic communication between a received SIM card and the electronic circuitry.
The invention also provides a housing for a telephone handset, the housing having a plurality of electronic contacts provided therein, the mounting of the electronic contacts within the housing providing a single interconnect assembly for the telephone handset.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.